'tis The Season To Remember Christ

INTRO.- ILL.- A man called the church office one day and said, "Can I please speak to the head hog at the trough?"

The secretary, highly offended, said, "If you mean the pastor, then you may refer to him as ’Pastor’ or ’Brother,’ but you may certainly NOT refer to him as the ‘head hog at the trough!’”

The man said, "Well, I was planning on giving $10,000 to your church’s building fund, but..."

"Hold on," the secretary quickly replied, "the big fat pig just walked in."

Money talks. It talks very loudly to most people. What does it say to you? Money talks to everyone in some form or another. And obviously, we can’t live without it, but at the same time it can become an obsession to some people.

I Tim. 6:9-10 “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Money is not evil, but the love of it is evil.

But money isn’t everything to people. People are captivated in this life by many things: sports, hobbies, traveling, cars, shopping, eating, etc.

ILL.- At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?" The little boy nodded in the affirmative.

"Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?" The little boy nodded yes.

"So," the coach continued, "when a strike is called, or you’re out at first, you don’t argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?" Again the little boy nodded.

"Good," said the coach, "now go over there and explain it to your mother."

Some people can get really into sports. You name it and some people go wild over it, either doing it or watching it. It almost seems like they live for their sport. And some do.

I John 2:17 “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

All sports and exercise programs, in fact, everything in this world will some day pass away, but the person who seeks to honor and please the Lord will forever. Surely this should tell us about where our supreme devotion and attention should be!

Brothers and sisters, the attachments to this life are many. They are strong, powerful, habitual, relentless, and addicting.

We cling to this life and the things of this world strongly, constantly, stubbornly, etc. However, isn’t there something greater, something better, something higher, something more important? Yes!

‘Tis the season to remember and honor Christ! The Lord Jesus Christ should be our greatest idol, our leading person, our main man, and our God! He is all these things and more whether He is to us or not!

He is the creator, sustainer and Savior! He is the sun, the moon and the stars all put together! He is the highlight of the universe! He is the focal point of all there is. He is the all in all. He is everything good and more! Therefore, I say, ‘tis the season to remember and honor Him. ‘Tis the season to worship the Lord!

Matthew 2:9-12 “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

The Magi or wise men found the Christ child and when they did, there was only one thing to do: worship Him. When you’re in the presence of divine holiness you must worship.

ILL.- The story is told that a woman entered a Haagen-Dazs store on the Kansas City Plaza for an ice-cream cone. After making her selection, she turned and found herself face to face with the actor Paul Newman. He was in town filming the movie Mr. and Mrs. Bridge. Newman’s blue eyes caused her knees to buckle. She managed to pay for her cone, then left the shop, heart pounding. When she gained her composure, she realized she didn’t have her cone. She started back to the store to get it and met Newman at the door. "Are you looking for your ice-cream cone?" he asked. She nodded, unable to speak. "You put it in your purse with your change."